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Hydaelyn (character)
Hydaelyn, also referred to simply as The Crystal or The Mothercrystal, is a central character in Final Fantasy XIV. She shares her name with the world where the game takes place, which she had created. A sentient crystal, she sends the Warrior of Light on their quest against the machinations of the Ascians. Sentient crystals have been a core element of the Final Fantasy series since the first game, their chosen being the player characters known as the Warriors of Light. Crystals are deity-like figures that tend to govern the world's elements or souls and the cycles of incarnation in some manner. Profile Appearance Hydaelyn is a gigantic sentient crystal, shaped roughly like a teardrop with several smaller crystals orbiting her in a ring. Personality Hydaelyn shows kindness and care towards the world she created, feels threatened by the encroaching darkness, and sees the Warrior of Light as her chosen who will return light to the world. She speaks in a soft, gentle voice, never venting negative emotions. Story Before Final Fantasy XIV Hydaelyn was created to keep Zodiark in check. She came into being when a faction of Ascians disapproving of the Convocation's summoning of Zodiark and their plan of harvesting the "lesser" lives that would develop on the planet to resurrect the Ascians sacrificed for Zodiark's creation. This faction was led by Venat, who offered themself as part of a mass sacrifice to become Hydaelyn's heart. Hydaelyn fragmented Zodiark and the world into twelve pieces, and then worked throughout the ages to prevent him from becoming whole and reviving. She could not prevent the calamities that brought the Umbral Eras into being, which meant one more fragment rejoining Zodiark. ''Final Fantasy XIV'' 1.0 and Realm Reborn Hydaelyn awakened an adventurer's ability to use the Echo by conjuring a Starshower as she had with many of her past champions. Hydaelyn later makes herself known to this Warrior of Light before s/he receives a vision of the Ascian Lahabrea. After the Warrior of Light gains the first crystal of light, Hydaelyn appears to him/her in a vision with instructions to find the other crystals and banish the encroaching darkness from the world. During the final confrontation with Lahabrea, the Warrior and the Ascian appear before the goddess. The Warrior of Light glimpses a dark crystal identical in shape to Hydaelyn in a vision. Whether the crystal is a vision of Hydaelyn being corrupted by darkness, or a different deity, remains unknown. Nevertheless, she no longer speaks with the Warrior of Light after Midgardsormr cancels the Blessing of Light to test the Warrior's worth. This enables the Ascian Nabriales to attack the Scions of the Seventh Dawn directly. Later, while escaping through the Sil'dih Aqueducts, Minfilia Warde claims to hear Hydaelyn and decides to stay behind. ''Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward Ysayle Dangoulain is another of Hydaelyn's chosen, and the Warrior of Light gradually regains the Blessing of Light with Hydaelyn warning of a great darkness. Once the blessing is restored, Midgardsormr recognizes the Warrior of Light as Hydaelyn's chosen. Krile possesses the Echo, and mentions people with it are born around the time of Umbral Eras. She reveals Hydaelyn gives gifts in the form of Crystals of Light whose potency depends on the time Hydaelyn created it prior to her waning strength. The crystal eye in Matoya's possession is one such Crystal of Light from an older era. Hydaelyn had urged Minfilia to return to Y'shtola and Thancred Waters's side following their escape attempt. Minfilia was caught up in Y'shtola's Flow spell, which brought her into the Aetherial Sea and to Hydaelyn herself. Minfilia offered her body to the weakened Mothercrystal, and became the "Word of the Mother:" her avatar. When the Warrior of Light enters the Aetherial Sea looking for Minfilia, Hydaelyn channels herself through the Word to speak with him/her. Hydaelyn uses what little strength she has to reveal the Ascians as Zodiark, revealing some of the events that led to the goddess fragmenting Zodiark and attempting to prevent his restoration. She failed to prevent the first seven Umbral calamities, which restored fragments to Zodiark in the process. She urges the Warrior of Light to stop the Ascians before it is too late, while warning that her strength is waning. She sends the Warrior back while Minfilia's form dissipates into aether. Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers The Scions learn of Hydaelyn's true nature as a primal created by a splinter group of Ascians that oppose those who created Zodiark, and how Hydaelyn only awakens a person's ability to use the Echo, rather than gift it as they had previously assumed. Musical themes At PAX East, Michael-Christopher Koji Fox revealed that the songs "Answers" and "Dragonsong" are from Hydaelyn's perspective. The former is her explaining to the wandering tribes that hardship is how one understands their true self, while the latter is Hydaelyn struggling to understand why the Ishgardians and Dravanians created a nigh unbreakable cycle of bloodshed in the Dragonsong War. Voice Hydaelyn is voiced by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn in English, but from ''Heavensward onwards she is voiced by Joanna Roth, Masako Ikeda in Japanese, Véronique Augereau in French and Sonngard Dressler in German. She shares her English voice actress with Nora Estheim in Final Fantasy XIII and Rosso in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, and her Japanese voice actress, Masako Ikeda, with the Cloud of Darkness in Dissidia Final Fantasy and its sequel and Miotsk Aufmachyt in Final Fantasy Type-0. Gallery FFXIV ARR Collector's Edition Box Art.jpg|Artwork by Yoshitaka Amano. FFXIV Hydaelyn Art.png|A painting of Hydaelyn. FFXIV Zodiark vs Hydaelyn Art.png|The art of Zodiark fighting Hydaelyn. pt-br:Hydaelyn (personagem) Category:Characters in Final Fantasy XIV Category:Deities Category:Crystal